The people of the town of Grindavík in Iceland, which is threatened by a volcanic eruption, have to prepare for not being able to live in their houses for a long time. Authorities evacuated the town with around 3,700 residents a week ago as a precaution after a series of earthquakes. Several houses were damaged, said Civil Defense Director Vídir Reynisson, according to the Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Saturday.
The broadcaster quoted him as saying that because of the ongoing uncertainty, residents would have to prepare to live elsewhere in the coming months. The weather service in Iceland believes it is likely that liquid rock will emerge from a magma tunnel that has been active for weeks in the southwest of the country. It is still unclear where lava would emerge.
A number of earthquakes were again recorded on Sunday night. Among them was one with a magnitude of 3.7, as the weather service wrote online. According to the broadcaster RUV, the tremors were also felt in the capital region of Reykjavík.
Kristín Jónsdóttir from the weather service said they had measured fewer and weaker earthquakes over time, according to broadcaster RUV on Saturday. This could indicate that the magma in the earth’s crust has risen far up. The British television station Sky News showed aerial photos of the town of Grindavík – some clear cracks could be seen on the ground.
Grindavík is located around 40 kilometers southwest of Reykjavik. Residents had to leave their homes a week ago because a 15-kilometer-long magma tunnel runs under Grindavík to the seabed. The nearby Blue Lagoon, one of the country’s most famous tourist attractions, had also been closed as a precaution.
